Synthesis And Thermal Characterization Of Polypropylene/Aluminum Composites

Abstract

The present work investigates the heat transfer and specifically, thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat in Aluminium composite materials. The composites were obtained by mixing polypropylene (PP) with oxidized Aluminium (Al) under various volume fractions. Two sizes of filler are used in the sample composite preparation. A nonlinear least-square criterion is used on experimental transfer functions to identify the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity of polypropylene/Aluminium (PP/Al) composites. The thermal parameters of the PP/Al composites having two sizes were determined through identification procedure. Then the density measurements were also carried out in order to deduce the specific heat and thereafter they were compared to values given by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental ones. Both the Agari and Bruggeman models provide a good estimation for thermal conductivity. Both thermal conductivity and diffusivity show a better heat transport for the composite having large particles, and the heat transfer in this case combine the contribution of phonon and electron transport mode.

KEY WORDS: Thermal properties, polypropylene/Aluminium, material composites.

Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol.11(1) 2005: 63-71